Country Flatbread

There was a time in Seattle when I found myself at Black Bottle more than once a week. The wine bar around the corner from my apartment specialized in small bites perfectly paired with Oregon Pinots and Argentinian Malbecs. Who could resist that?

But the ultimate appeal of this corner wine bar were its flatbread offerings. Prosciutto and bechemel sauce, sundried tomato and smoked chicken, and my stumble-upon favorite: French Country. On a chance dinner with my visiting mom, we opted to be adventurous and find out what was on top of this mysterious flatbread. We were in for the most amazing treat: pesto, brie, kalamata olives, sauteed leeks, and herbs. Ever after that, it was the first and sometimes only item I ordered for dinner. I'm not exaggerating about how often I ate there either.

In Carmel a few weeks ago, we had the urge to spend the afternoon cooking with some friends. The kitchen is so gloriously large and shiny, I can't help but get excited about dirtying it up! And using as many pots and pans as I can in the process. Inspired by Black Bottle's flatbread, we bought a baguette to slice lengthwise as a stand-in. First, I painted olive oil and chopped garlic on the bread and broiled them for long enough to delicately toast. Then I spread generous slices of brie while simultaneously sauteing sliced leeks in more olive oil. After carefully layering on the leeks, I topped them with some sliced kalamata olives and broiled for another 5 minutes, just long enough to melt the brie. While these aren't exactly like the amazing flatbread in Seattle, I was happy to be reminded of them for a few minutes!